EUROPEAN MORNING BRIEF 21/05: China lead import window opens; Sterlite copper smelter outage extended; battery-grade lithium hydroxide spot prices under pressure

Good morning from Metal Bulletin’s offices in Asia, bringing the latest news and pricing stories on Monday May 21.

Nickel prices on the Shanghai Futures Exchange fell during Asian morning trading on Monday amid a stronger dollar, but the outlook for the metal remains positive owing to strong fundamentals.

Check Metal Bulletin’s live futures report here.

LME snapshot at 02.28am London time
Latest three-month LME Prices
  Price ($ per tonne) Change since Friday’s close ($)
Copper 6,866.50 11.5
Aluminium 2,255.50 -14.5
Lead 2,351 21
Zinc 3,107.50 8
Tin 20,715 -65
Nickel 14,545 -205
SHFE snapshot at 09.29am Shanghai time
Most-traded SHFE contracts
  Price (yuan per tonne) Change since Friday’s close (yuan)
Copper (June) 51,390 100
Aluminium (June) 14,795 -45
Zinc (June) 23,975 250
Lead (June) 19,770 105
Tin  (July) 145,780 780
Nickel  (September) 108,530 -1,710

Lead is starting to be imported into China at a profit after shorts drove down international market prices far enough to trigger an arbitrage.

Sterlite’s refined copper smelter, Tuticorin, will remain closed for another 20 days after the local court adjourned the next hearing on Sterlite’s appeal against a decision not to renew consent of the smelter operation, Metal Bulletin understands.

Global battery-grade lithium hydroxide spot prices fell last week, influenced by the recent softer lithium carbonate markets as well as consumer expectations for lower prices.

Chinese ferro-chrome prices have rebounded amid strong ore prices, together with concerns towards potential supply cuts to major ferro-chrome production hubs following environmental inspections. Click here to get a brief roundup of the global chrome market.

Mark Teroerde has resigned from his role at Switzerland-based trading house Telf as a head of sales of ferro-alloys; his responsibilities have been taken on by David Kramer, who widens his existing portfolio at Telf covering refined ferro-alloys.

Weaker demand teased out cheaper lithium hydroxide offers, and European cobalt prices fell on cheap materials and stagnant buying activities. Check Metal Bulletin’s latest weekly Battery Raw Materials Report here.

What to read next
The publication of Fastmarkets’ assessments of the nickel min 99.8% full plate premium, in-whs Shanghai, and the nickel min 99.8% full plate premium, cif Shanghai for Tuesday May 26 were delayed because of a reporter error. Fastmarkets’ pricing database has been updated. The following prices were affected:MB-NI-0143 Nickel min 99.8% full plate premium, in-whs Shanghai, […]
Copper producers, including Atlas Mining, reported higher earnings in the first quarter of 2026 on the back of elevated copper prices, while concentrate output declined at several operations in Chile, Brazil, Colombia and the Philippines due to lower ore grades and disruptions, according to company results reviewed by Fastmarkets.
The amendment follows the decision made on May 14, after a consultation period for the proposed changes which took place between April 3 and May 11. The changes were first proposed in a pricing note published on April 3.  The purpose of the changes is to align the publication times to the activity in the […]
The proposal follows Fastmarkets’ observations that the commodity sees inactive spot liquidity and low volatility in prices. The proposed new specifications for the prices are as follows, with the amendments in italics: MB-NI-0246 Nickel sulfate, cif Japan and Korea, $/tonneQuality: Accepted by buyer for use in battery applications with chemical composition: Ni content, base 22.3% […]
Based on preliminary market feedback, market participants noted that smaller-sized spot market transactions may be skewed and not reflective of the wider market. The aluminium P1020A(MJP), cif Japan, assessment specification which has a minimum tonnage of 100 tonnes will be amended to 500 tonnes after the proposed change. The proposed new specifications are as follows, […]
Fastmarkets consulted the market on the proposed change between April 3 and May 11, 2026. Some feedback was received regarding the publication times of nickel pig iron and laterite ore prices. Fastmarkets will adjust the initially proposed publication times accordingly and proceed with the changes. This decision was first proposed in a methodology note published […]